[Mewtwo: It hurts... it hurts so much. I need more... more power...]
Feng Che felt his own psychic energy being forcibly siphoned from his body, flowing into Mewtwo like a torrential river into a desert.
"Dr. Fuji, I don't think this is a lack of Mew cells," Feng Che wheezed, finally managing to sever the telepathic connection. He slumped against a console, feeling drained and hollow. "It's a lack of pure psychic energy. Subject 13 is starving for it."
Feng Che pulled a Mental Herb extract from his storage and downed it. After a moment, the color returned to his face.
"How can that be?" Fuji pointed to a pile of pink crystals. "We supply high-grade Psychic Gems every day. He hasn't even consumed half of them."
"Fuji, those gems are full of impurities. To a creature with the potential of a God, those impurities act like grit in a fine engine. He can't absorb them efficiently." Feng Che's eyes lit up as a memory surfaced. "Didn't we have fragments of the Soul Dew (Heart Crystal) in storage? Use those. They are pure."
Fuji immediately ordered the assistants to retrieve the palm-sized shard. As soon as it was placed in the incubator, the fragment dissolved at a visible rate. Mewtwo's eyelids twitched, and his breathing stabilized.
"You were right, Feng Che," Fuji said, humbled. "I'm a master of genetics, but I clearly don't understand the 'Psychic' side of this creature. Without you, 13 would have perished."
"I would suggest finding a 'Psychic Sanctuary' or higher-grade crystals for his long-term growth," Feng Che added.
[Mewtwo: Thank you, Feng Che. You've saved my life again.]
The infant's voice echoed in his mind.
[Mewtwo: I wonder how long I have to live... I want to see the world outside this glass. I'm tired of being just an 'object.']
"Mewtwo, don't worry. I will protect you," Feng Che promised solemnly. "One day, I will take you out of here. You aren't an object; you're my partner, my family."
[Mewtwo: Thank you. You protect me now... and when I am strong, I will protect you forever.]
Feng Che slipped a few bottles of specialized medicine into a hidden compartment he knew Mewtwo could access with his telekinesis. "These are made from Gracidea flowers; they will help replenish your energy. And this blue one... it's a double-edged sword. It boosts your brainpower but damages your body. Use it only as a last resort. If you do, find me immediately—I will fix you."
The vials vanished into Mewtwo's personal psychic space.
As Feng Che stepped out of the lab, he found Sabrina leaning against the wall, twirling a lock of her long purple hair around her finger. She looked lost in thought.
"Lady Sabrina," Feng Che said softly.
Sabrina jumped, her eyes widening in surprise. "Feng Che! You... you're back." She quickly composed herself, resuming her cold, detached mask. "I heard you returned. I have... a mission for you."
"A mission?"
"Leader Giovanni has ordered me to capture Moltres. I want you to be my partner for this." Sabrina's voice was uncharacteristically hesitant. As his superior, she could simply order him, but she found she didn't want to force him—especially not him.
Will he refuse? she wondered, her psychic energy beginning to fluctuate with her anxiety. Nearby objects started to float. I shouldn't have asked. If he says no, how do I react? Do I just walk away?
"Of course, Lady Sabrina. Your business is my business," Feng Che smiled.
Sabrina's lips curved into a tiny, rare smile, a faint blush warming her cheeks. "Good. Because it's a dangerous mission."
"By the way," Feng Che noted, "your psychic power... it's still overflowing, isn't it? That's why things are floating."
"It's... hard to control when it grows this fast," she admitted.
"Actually, I have a solution for that. Follow me."
Feng Che led her back into the lab.
"Feng Che? And Lady Sabrina!" Fuji exclaimed. "This is perfect!"
"Lady Sabrina, this Pokémon is dying because it lacks psychic nourishment," Feng Che explained, pointing to the infant Mewtwo. "Could you... help him?"
"My energy is precious," Sabrina said, tilting her chin up with a touch of her usual arrogance. "But... if it helps stabilize my own overflowing power, I suppose I can spare some for Subject 13."
She's such a 'tsundere', Feng Che thought, watching her.
Sabrina placed her hands on the glass. A massive surge of blue light erupted as she poured nearly half of her current reserves into Mewtwo. The infant's body filled out, his cells gorging on the pure, high-level energy.
"Phew..." Sabrina exhaled, looking refreshed. "That actually helped. The remaining energy in my body feels much purer now."
Fuji was overjoyed. He had been planning to ask Giovanni to force Sabrina to help, but Feng Che had managed it with a simple request.
"Feng Che," Sabrina said, her hair swaying as she turned to leave. "I'll wait for you at the base entrance in three days. We leave for the Indigo Plateau." She vanished in a flash of Teleport.
"Dr. Fuji," Feng Che asked, "when did the order go out to catch Mew?"
"Just before you arrived. They're setting up an ambush in Celadon City now."
Rocket grunts trying to catch Mew? They're going to fail and cause a disaster, Feng Che sighed. "I'll head to Celadon. I don't want them causing trouble at my new Breeding Center or making a mess of things."
Feng Che donned his smiling-face mask and set out. Celadon City was about to get very interesting.